The library of the future by David Hoppe

The Indianapolis Public Library launches “Yours to Create,” a six-month public planning process aimed at defining the library’s role through 2020. A steering committee has been formed and a variety of task forces will hold open meetings to explore a rather dizzying array of themes, ranging from “nurturing healthy and vibrant communities” to “enriching informal education.” Hold on, I hear you saying. Didn’t the library just finish its big expansion project? That was in 2007, just six years ago. The trouble is, libraries are like dogs. Library time, for reasons I’ll get to in a moment, is accelerated so that every year for us is multiplied exponentially for the library. In fact, this visioning process arrives at what feels like a crossroads for public libraries throughout the country. The digitizing, not just of information, but the culture at large, has raised questions about whether we even need public libraries any more. If you own a smart phone, you have access to more information than is found in the reference departments of many institutions. And now that eBooks are beginning to outsell their paper progenitors, there are questions about the longterm viability of book collections.